Minnesota: Encyclopedia II - Minnesota

Minnesota covers 79,610 square miles (2.25% of the United States). It is famous for its lakes, having in excess of 15,000, depending on the source of the count. Much of the state is flat, having been eroded during repeated glacial periods (most recently the Wisconsin Glacier). However, the extreme southeastern portion of the state is part of the Driftless Zone, which was not glaciated, and it is here that Lake Pepin and the rugged high bluffs of the Mississippi River are found. In addition, the Iron Range and other low mountains are found in the northeastern part of the state. The Minnesota portion of Lake Superior is the largest body of water in the state.

Minnesota is home to many areas of park land, to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), as well as a number of state and county parks, most notably Itasca State Park, the official source of the Mississippi River.

After its rivers and lakes, Minnesota's most prominent physical feature is the Iron Range. This is a range of low mountains that run across the northern part of the state. It is called the Iron Range because when discovered, it had some of the largest deposits of iron ore in the country. Although the high-grade iron ore was mostly mined out during World War II, taconite is still mined across the Iron Range.

The state is bordered on the north by Canada (Manitoba and Ontario), on the east by Wisconsin and Lake Superior, on the south by Iowa, and on the west by North Dakota and South Dakota. In addition, Minnesota shares a water boundary with Michigan. Minnesota is the northernmost of the 48 contiguous states (Alaska reaches significantly farther north), reaching to 49° 23' 04" north latitude, due to a small piece of the state known as the Northwest Angle.

Minnesota sits at a convergence point between three of the great biomes of North America: the Great Plains of the west, the Eastern Deciduous Forest, and the Northern Boreal Forest of Canada. Traversing the state from southwest to northeast, one goes through the three different ecological regions.

The capital is St. Paul, which sits on the Mississippi River next to Minnesota's largest city, Minneapolis. Together (and with surrounding suburbs), they are known as the Twin Cities. Other prominent cities include Duluth, St. Cloud, Mankato, Rochester (home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic), and Bloomington (home to the Mall of America).

The state's average elevation is 1,200 feet (366 m), with a high point at Eagle Mountain (Minnesota) (2,301 ft or 701 m) and a low at the surface of Lake Superior (602 ft or 183 m). Aside from a few very minor earthquakes, Minnesota is one of the most geologically-stable regions in the country. The biggest earthquake in the last century occurred near Morris in 1975 and rated between 4.6 and 4.8 in magnitude.

Temperatures can reach extremes in Minnesota. The northern part of the state is famously cold in winter, with a record low of -60 °F (-51 °C) measured at Tower, MN on February 2, 1996. Surprisingly, due to the flows of the jet stream, parts of Alaska often see relatively warm temperatures when Minnesota is experiencing extreme cold. Additionally, as part of the Great Plains region, the state also experiences warm summers. A record high of 114 °F (45.5 °C) was reached in both 1917 and 1936. The average temperature in January (the coldest month) is 11.2 °F (-11.5 °C), and the average in the warmest month, July, is 73.1 °F (22.8 °C); averages are cooler in the north and warmer in the south. The average annual precipitation is 28.32 inches (719 mm), with a snowfall figure of 49.6 inches (126 cm).